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Maduro illegitimacy declaration sparks confusion in US oil sector

The US designation of Juan Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate president has created confusion among refiners, producers, services companies and traders now unsure of the legality of future commercial transactions with state-owned PDVSA, sources told S&P Global Platts Thursday.

"Literally every company is asking the same question: What does this mean?" one US refining industry lobbyist said Thursday. "Is Maduro PDVSA? No one knows. There's just no specificity."

The US on Wednesday declared the presidency of Nicolas Maduro illegitimate, and recognized Guaido, the head of Venezuela's National Assembly, as the country's legitimate president. Other countries, including Canada, followed the US with similar declarations.